Unwavering Determination….Maybe

They had made their trip to the mall with relative ease, browsing in and out of the various stores to see if anything caught their interest. The gang had a good laugh at carver's expense when they entered The Emperor's New Shoes and found that that not only was there a shoe model there signing all the shoes as part of some promotion it was in fact the model that carver has long refused to admit he had a crush on. Carver much to the rest of the gang's amusement only managed to squeak and fumble his words when he tried to get her to sign his latest purchase and in the end Lor had to step up and save her friend from a mental meltdown, though as they safely left the view of the store carver's memory and ego seemed to return as healthy as ever.

"Did you see the way she looked at me? She knew I was special, I bet she was saying to herself "Now there's a man who knows how to appreciate a finely made shoe"" Carver said

"So was that before or after you wowed her with your mastery of the verbal squeak?" Tino said laughing.

"When you exude cool like I do, words aren't even necessary" Carver replied

Tino was surprised to find himself slipping comfortably back into his old groove the longer he hung out with his friends. Still he couldn't let himself forget what he was trying to do; he'd seen those later days he always spoke about and he didn't want them anymore.

As they left the mall and turned down the street toward the park it suddenly occurred to Tino that he hadn't been paying close enough attention to the day's activities because he had no idea where they were going.

"So where we off to now? I'm putting in a vote for Funville and some pool" Tino asked

"Sounds good but remember I said I wanted to stop by the amphitheatre and see about that new play that's setting up." Tish replied

"Its part of the local theatre group's series of lesser done works of the bard, and this time their doing The Tempest. I think it's the perfect way to boost the culture of Bahia Bay and you know I couldn't sit by and not offer my talent, the public would be crushed."

"So does this one have any cool fight scenes or a donkey man like your last one" Lor asked trying to remain interested

Tino has stopped listening to their conversation the moment Tish had mentioned the name of the play. This was it…This was where it had started, he remembered the events clearly. Tish had gone to try out for one of the lead female roles and though she had failed she had endeared herself enough to the group that they cast her anyway, though in a lesser part. She had worked endless nights to try and make the character her own, Tino had even spent a few nights helping her rehearse, and he had gotten a better appreciation of Shakespeare from it. This was his chance to change everything, maybe if he stopped her from trying out she wouldn't get cast and she wouldn't get discovered and she wouldn't leave…and become famous…and happy…and suddenly he had a moment of doubt. He realized that if he went through with this he'd change everything he knew. Sure he'd have a chance to pursue a relationship he'd spent the rest of his days longing to have but he'd never thought about what would change for Tish. If this worked she'd never become the great actress she grew up to be. His mind flashed back to cover of Entertainment Weekly and the picture of her it had had, with the tag line "Up and coming stars of the new year". Could he really trade such a rewarding future for her for only the shot at a happy life with him? He looked inside himself trying to find an answer; trying to decide in his happiness was worth her future. The more he tried to decide the more he kept coming back to his feelings for her, the ones he carried even as a kid though he never knew it until much too late. And he knew that he couldn't go through that loss again, the gods could damn him to hell for selfishness but he'd go a happier man."

"…..Sounds like my brother after his date dumped him" Lor replied snapping Tino out of his mental struggle

"What do you think Tino? Would I be perfect for the role of the daughter, sought after by two men, one good, one evil, forever at war with my own heart" Tish asked, a dramatic tone rising in her voice.

"Uhhh ya sound's great. You know I just remembered we can't go to the amphitheatre today there uhhh spraying for termites. Nasty bugs they get in the woodwork and ruin everything" Tino said hastily, trying to sound convincing

"What? Where did you hear that? Are you sure Tino" Tish asked incredulously

"Yep read it in the paper this morning, the whole place is shut down until tomorrow. Wouldn't want your big scene to come up and have a spotlight fall on you"

"Well ok if your sure about that" Tish said, still doubtful but trusting

"So instead I say we all hit Funville, I'll even pay for pool" Tino said trying to change the subject as fast as he could

"You know T, you keep spending money like this and you won't have any left over to pay for my chili cheese fries" Carver said

"Perish the thought" Tino replied dryly

The time at Funville had gone by seemingly in an instant, one game of pool soon turned into 5 and 6 games and though they tried valiantly the combination of Tish's mathematic skills and Lor's naturally ability beat carver and Tino 5 games to 1.

It was later that evening after the gang had gone their separate ways for the night and Tino had struggled through his mom's seaweed and tofu stuffed cucumbers that Tino's phone rang.

"Tino its Tish and she sound's angry. Guess she found out about that lie you told her" His mom yelled down the hall to his room

"Hey how did you even…never mind you always know, ok I've got it" Tino replied "Hey Tish what's up"

"Tino how could you. The theatre wasn't closed to spray for bugs. Why did you say it was" Tish asked managing to sound both hurt and slightly angry

Tino did feel guilty when he had knowingly lied to her and now he felt even worse as he heard how upset she was

"I'm sorry Tish, really, but I had a good reason I promise, I just…I can't tell you right now. I'll meet you tomorrow morning before we head over to Lor's and explain everything I promise."

"You'd better and it better be good. I'm going over tomorrow to try out in the afternoon hopefully they haven't started assigning the parts just yet"

"Don't worry Tish I'm sure everything will still work out fine, now I'll see you tomorrow morning, goodnight" Tino said hastily and hung up.

Tino knew he was stuck and he yet he didn't know what to do. He knew he couldn't stall Tish from trying out anymore, she wouldn't believe him after today and yet he knew what would happen if she tried out and got in. He had backed himself into a corner and he could only see one way out. He would have to tell her how he felt. He would tell her about how much he loved her, had loved her for a while now but hadn't realized it, and about how he felt whenever he saw her smile at him or even what he felt when she laughed. Maybe it would be enough to change their future together. Maybe she would give a second thought the moving away to that acting school. Tino realized that that was all he really had to hope for, his second chance hung on the one word, maybe.

Authors Note: Hey look my next chapter is done; I'm just as amazed as you. There are times where I just didn't feel like writing, what with college writing assignments and essays and such, but much like carver when he babysat Todd, I pushed through and finished this update. I'm still trying to find the right length for these chapters so if you thought this was to short or to long let me know. I'd like to thank asuka, pale, shinji and canti for helping me a bit with some story problems even as I tried not to reveal anything to them. Also thanks to BeeKay for pointing out a flaw in my last chapter, I didn't even realize that until you mentioned it. To everyone who keeps leaving reviews thanks it means a lot, it helps get me past the rough spots. As far as this chapter went, I tried to get the story moving into the main meat of the plot without skipping past anything that might be enjoyable. Much like Tino I think I wrote myself into a little corner here, I'd better do the confession scene in the next chapter well, I sure built it up enough ;). Anyway keep reading and keep supporting weekenders fic's in general. There are several new authors who could use your support.

"He's a crafter of living art; I'd trust her in his hands sooner then anyone else's."